GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Deaths from fentanyl-related overdoses are on the decline in Kent County, as the county health department said they've seen a 32% decrease in deaths between 2022 and 2023.
This comes as CDC provisional data shows that Fentanyl overdose deaths have declined by 12.7% across the country between May 2023 and May 2024.
"Nationally, there has been a much higher emphasis on harm reduction and the conversation around harm reduction has increased a lot," said Rachel Jantz, epidemiologist for the Kent County Health Department.
Jantz said there's also been an increase in awareness of medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.
"I think folks are getting used to hearing about Naloxone and Narcan," Jantz said. "Folks are getting used to hearing about fentanyl testing strips, and making sure that people who use drugs have that humanity, and are able to make decisions that they need to stay alive."
Jantz said before 2023, fentanyl-related overdoses accounted for 75% of overdose deaths in the county.
In 2023, that number fell to 60%. Jantz said while data from this year is preliminary, they're seeing a similar trend has continued through August so far.
"Actions that we know reduce overdose deaths the most is to equip people who use drugs with the resources and information that they need to stay healthy," said Jantz.
She said some of the ways to do this include making Naloxone and Narcan more accessible.
"This means fentanyl testing strips that folks can get from Naloxone vending machines or the drug-checking machine that the Grand Rapids RED project has," she said.
While drug overdose deaths are decreasing across the county overall, the health department is now working to address disparities among different communities.
"We've seen a disparate rate between our Black and white populations, so the rate of overdose death in our Black population in Kent County is about four times higher than that of our white population," said Jantz.
"We know that there are not differences in use between Black and white populations, but there is a difference in the number of deaths between Black and white populations," Jantz said. "So this points to a systemic issue with access, with stigma, with things that we can change, with access to treatment, increased information sharing and decreasing stigma."
Jantz said the health department is also working with Black-led organizations in Grand Rapids and greater Kent County to identify factors that are preventing overdose deaths, and how to best amplify them.
More information on how to access free Narcan and other resources can be found on the Kent County Health Department Website.
The state's Narcan vending machine map can be found here.